Department for Transport

Large Goods Vehicles: EU Countries

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many freight vehicle permits for haulage between the UK and each other EU member state are current; and what plans they have toincrease or amend those quantities.

baroness sugg: Haulage between the UK and the EU is authorised by Community Licence rules, so permits are not currently required. If there is no deal, UK hauliers will be able to use ECMT (European Conference of Ministers of Transport) permits or rely on reinstated or new bilateral agreements with member states, some of which may require permits. The Government expects 20 agreements with EU countries to be reinstated once EU law ceases to apply. In most cases we would need to take some further steps with the other relevant parties to bring old bilateral agreements in to effect. In practice we would expect to update many of these old agreements and would seek new bilateral agreements where no old agreements are available. Any amendments to the quantities of permits will depend on the arrangements for reinstated or new road haulage bilateral agreements.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of electric vehicle charging points that are required to be installed in each city, town or village, per units of 1,000 population, within the (1) next year and, (2) next five years.

baroness sugg: The Government has not made an estimate of the number of electric vehicle chargepoints required for individual towns, cities or villages. The needs will be highly dependent on local circumstances, such as how many people travel to work by car and level of off street residential parking. We expect the transition to cleaner road transport to be industry- and consumer-led, supported in the coming years by the measures set out in the Road to Zero strategy published in July. A widespread public chargepoint network is important for drivers who do high mileage, travel long distances and/or have no access to chargepoints at home or work. The UK already has more than 14,000 public chargepoints, one of the largest and most comprehensive rapid networks in Europe. The Government’s goal is to encourage and leverage private sector investment to build and operate a thriving, self-sustaining public network with the right framework of policy support. The Road to Zero document, for instance, includes commitments to expand electric and low emission vehicle infrastructure significantly across the country. The department will continue to monitor whether any significant gaps, in uptake or infrastructure provision, emerge in the medium term and consider whether there is a case for direct central Government support in areas where there is a market failure.

Preston-Colne Railway Line

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of rail services in the past six months that have not travelled beyond Burnley Central to Brierfield, Nelson and Colne stations but have instead gone back to Preston; and of the effect these service cancellations have had on (1) passengers from these three stations, (2) the number of passengers continuing to use that service, and (3) the reputation of the railway.

baroness sugg: The Department does not hold information at the level of detail requested on rail services that, in the past six months, have not travelled beyond Burnley Central to Brierfield, Nelson and Colne stations.

Preston-Colne Railway Line

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what responsibility the franchise holder has for assisting and compensating rail passengers travelling to Brierfield, Nelson or Colne but who must leave the train at Burnley Central when it terminates there; and whether the operator is required to make an assessment of the degree of vulnerability or distress of the passengers concerned when determining what assistance should be provided.

baroness sugg: The franchisee is responsible for complying with their Passenger Charter and their Disabled people's protection policy for assisting passengers. For compensation, the franchisee is responsible for complying with their Delay Repay scheme. Details of these can be found on the Northern Rail website.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

lord mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of vehicle insurance for young people between the ages of 17 and 20 years old; and the implications of such costs on the employment prospects for young people in deprived areas.

baroness sugg: Motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer and it is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. The Government recognises that the cost of motor insurance can be high for new drivers. Motor insurance premiums can vary according to the potential risk that a driver poses and this can include factors such as the age of the applicant, the types of vehicle being driven, the postal area where the applicant lives and the driving experience of the applicant. As promised in the Road Safety Statement, the Department for Transport has commissioned a £2 million research programme to explore the effectiveness of a range of measures to improve the safety of young and novice drivers, both before they take their test and after they have passed. The Government would like to see improvements in young driver safety reflected in their insurance premiums.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure full enforcement of the Alternative Fuels Access Regulations 2017 provision for ad hoc access to electric vehicle charging points.

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that where companies require users to be members of a specific scheme in order to access electric vehicle charging points such requirements are compatible with the Alternative Fuels Access Regulations 2017.

baroness sugg: The Secretary of State for Transport has appointed the Office for Product Safety and Standards, within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, as the Regulator for the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulations 2017. The Regulator is empowered to enforce the Regulations as necessary. Any information regarding a potential breach of the Regulations should be sent to: https://www.rohs.bis.gov.uk/enquiry/

Streatham Station

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 December 2016 (HL3566), whether the development and design work to make Streatham rail station more accessible under the Access for All programme has been completed; and when they expect site work to commence.

baroness sugg: Option selection (GRIP 3 stage) has been completed at Streatham station. Funding will be available again from 1 April next year that will allow Network Rail to re-start the project to continue to the next stage. Projects will need to finish construction by 2024 at the latest, but I am expecting Network Rail to accelerate the work as much as possible to ensure the earliest possible delivery.

Railways: Standards

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a minimum legal time between the announcement of a train’s boarding platform and its subsequent departure; and what action they are taking to ensure that train operating companies do not disadvantage older passengers, passengers with young children, wheelchair users and passengers with a disability by not leaving enough time between the announcement of the platform and the train's departure.

baroness sugg: There is no minimum legal time between the announcement of a train's boarding platform and its subsequent departure. The Department expects train operating companies and station operators to provide timely, accurate information to all passengers at every stage of their journey, including prior to departure. The National Rail Conditions of Travel place a responsibility on operators to make available information that will help passengers to plan and successfully complete their journey. All operators are required as a condition of their licence to have in place a Disabled People’s Protection Policy with a commitment to providing, wherever possible, clear and consistent aural and visual information of train departures and other relevant messages, particularly in the event of delays or disruption. Station staff are encouraged to be alert to anybody who may require assistance.

Cross Country Rail Franchise

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 22 October (HL10462), whether they will put in place short term temporary arrangements to deal with overcrowding across the Cross Country Trains network.

baroness sugg: The Department is considering a number of different rolling stock options, to reduce overcrowding in both the short and long term, but it is too early, at present, to say what the detail of that will be.

Gatwick Airport Station

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 22 October (HL10461), how much they have spent on the Gatwick Airport railway station since 2013; and how much Gatwick Airport has contributed towards this.

baroness sugg: Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have funded day to day expenditure on the station which is not immediately quantifiable. Since 2013, more than £11.6 million has been spent on developing the Gatwick Airport Station enhancement scheme, funded by the Department for Transport and Gatwick Airport Ltd (GAL). If the enhancement scheme proceeds, GAL will make an additional funding contribution to the construction costs.

Roads: Greater London

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Transport for London about when the closure of sections of Chelsea Embankment to traffic is likely to end.

baroness sugg: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and delivered by Transport for London (TfL). The Government has regular discussions with TfL on a range of issues, however, road closures and traffic management on TfL roads is a matter for TfL.

Aviation: Egypt

lord stone of blackheath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to allow flights to Sharm el-Sheikh again; if so, when; and if not, why not.

baroness sugg: The UK Government continues to work closely with its Egyptian counterparts, sharing its expertise in establishing effective security arrangements at all Egyptian airports including Sharm el-Sheikh.It is long standing government policy not to comment in detail on security matters. However, we look forward to achieving the return of flights once we can be assured that the necessary security requirements can be sustained.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Printing Machinery

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) competitiveness, and (2) fair trading practices of the home printer and printer cartridge market.

lord henley: Responsibility for addressing competition and consumer protection issues within markets lies with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA’s predecessor, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) carried out a market study in 2001 on consumer IT goods and services, including the printer and cartridge market. Its main finding on this market was that consumers found it difficult to identify lifetime cost of ownership. The OFT worked with the industry to introduce a labelling scheme to help consumers to consider both purchase price and running costs.

Fracking: Earthquakes

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of recent earthquakes in Lancashire being caused by fracking.

lord henley: The independent oil and gas regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), is responsible for ensuring operators mitigate the risk of induced seismicity. The OGA is continually monitoring operations around the Preston New Road site to ensure they remain in line with Cuadrilla’s Hydraulic Fracture Plan, which was independently approved by the OGA and Environment Agency before the commencement of hydraulic fracturing operations. We are absolutely committed to exploring shale gas extraction in a safe and science-led way. The Traffic Light System, which dictates the required response to seismic activity, has worked at the Preston New Road site in exactly the way that it was designed to. The very minor seismic events recorded at the Preston New Road site cannot be felt at the surface.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

South Sudan: Oil

baroness anelay of st johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 October (HL10375 and HL10376), what assurances they have received from the government of South Sudan that there will now be appropriate accountability by that government for the management of its oil revenues; and what discussions they have had with non-governmental organisations in South Sudan about this issue.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK welcomes the signing of the revised peace agreement on 12 September. As part of this deal, all of the parties committed to economic reforms, including more transparent and accountable management of oil revenues. They must now show genuine commitment to implement all of this agreement in full. They have taken some important steps but there is a very long way to go.  Through our bilateral engagement, and as a member of the Troika, we continue to urge the Government and other parties to meet their commitments and ensure that the country's resources are managed in a transparent and accountable way, for the benefit of all South Sudanese. We also continue to support civil society's important and active role in all aspects of the peace process and its implementation.​

Pakistan: Minority Groups

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how British (1) foreign policy, and (2) aid programmessupport persecuted minorities in Pakistan

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Promoting human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, is a fundamental part of the British Government's work, including in Pakistan.We remain concerned by the treatment of minority communities, including religious minorities, in Pakistan.We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities, including religious minorities, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of advancing the rights of minorities during her telephone call with Imran Khan in August following his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan. I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, in September 2018.Under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the UK has supported projects in Pakistan to promote greater tolerance and religious freedom.We ensure that our development assistance, delivered through the Department for International Development (DFID), targets the poorest people in Pakistan regardless of race, religion, social background, or nationality. DFID Pakistan does not disaggregate results or budgets by religion.

Burma: Human Rights

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the most recent report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Since the Special Rapporteur's report to the UN General Assembly of August 2018 the UK has played a leading role in securing the resolution adopted at the 39th session of the UN Human Rights Council in September. This establishes a mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of atrocities in Burma, as called for by the Special Rapporteur. The Foreign Secretary has stated that it is essential that the perpetrators of any atrocities are brought to justice through impartial and credible investigations.

Burma: Press Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of restrictions on media freedom in Burma; and what steps they have taken to address with the government of Burma concerns about violations of freedom of expression and press freedom in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government has been a consistent and vocal advocate of democratic freedoms in Burma, including freedom of expression. The Ambassador to Burma met the Burmese Attorney-General on 9 August and made clear that freedom of the media was a vital safeguard in a democracy, and that the law should protect journalists rather than punish them for doing their jobs. The Foreign Secretary called for the release of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo in his meeting with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 20 September.

Burma: Hate Crime

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address concerns about hate speech with the government of Burma.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Government continues to be deeply concerned by hate speech in Burma. Our Ambassador to Burma discussed the impact of social media on intercommunal relations and the necessity of working with faith leaders in his meeting with the Minister for Religious Affairs on 9 August. The British Embassy continues to work with local partners in Burma to tackle this issue. The UK, working with EU partners and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, secured a UN Human Rights Council Resolution on 27 September that sets out the steps the Government of Burma should take to address the spread of discrimination and prejudice and to combat the incitement to hatred against the Rohingya muslims and other minorities, by publicly condemning such acts and enacting necessary anti-hate speech laws.

Burma: Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of freedom of religion or belief in Burma.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The British Government continues to be deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in Burma. The British Ambassador met the Burmese Minister for Religious Affairs on 9 August. He discussed the impact of social media on intercommunal relations and registers the UK's desire for further engagement with religious leaders engaged in interfaith dialogues in Burma. The UK, working with EU partners and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, secured a UN Human Rights Council Resolution on 27 September that called for the amending or repealing of the discriminatory provisions of the set of “protection of race and religion laws” in Burma enacted in 2015 covering religious conversion, interfaith marriage, monogamy and population control.

Burma: Churches

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they havetaken to raise with the government of Burma concerns that many churches have been destroyed or damaged by the military in Kachin State since 2011.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has not recently made specific representations to the Government of Burma about destruction and damage of churches in Kachin State. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific raised the UK's concerns about recent military conduct in Kachin and Shan states and about reports that Christians in Kachin were being persecuted in his meeting with the Burmese Ambassador on 11 July. The UK, working with EU partners and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, secured a UN Human Rights Council Resolution on 27 September that called for an immediate cessation of fighting and hostilities, of targeting civilians, and of all violations and abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in northern Burma.

Libya: IRA

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to seek compensation from the government of Libya for the victims of Irish Republican Army terrorism; if so, what progress they have made in seeking such compensation; and if not, why not.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We want to see a just solution for all of the victims of Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorism. The British Government continues to press the Libyan authorities to engage constructively with victims and their representatives on their campaign for compensation: most recently, the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, raised this with Prime Minister Serraj and the Ministers of Interior, Justice and Foreign Affairs in April. The Secretary of State for International Development also raised this with Prime Minister Serraj in August. However, the current violence and political instability in Libya has effectively stalled discussions with the authorities on the resolution of legacy issues. We are now working with other Government Departments to explore what more we can do to support victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism.

Algeria: Churches

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Algeria about the official closure of 11 churches in that country; and whether they have had positive responses to any such approaches to that government.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) internationally is a high priority for the UK. We welcomed the re-opening of three churches in Algeria during the summer, but were disappointed to hear of the closure last week of another church, near the town of Bejaia. The Algerian Constitution protects FoRB, and we have discussed with the Algerian authorities the importance of ensuring those protections are reflected in their laws and processes. The Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, raised FoRB, including church closures, with the Algerian government when he visited Algiers in June. I also discussed FoRB with Algerian Ministers during my visit in July. Our Embassy in Algiers maintains close contact with the Protestant Church of Algeria.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the relevant oversight bodies in Bahrain to encourage them to disclose updates on their investigations into the torture allegations presented by Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Moosa.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We welcome the investigation and recommendation of the Special Investigations Unit and the subsequent decision of the Minister of Justice to refer the cases of Mohamed Ramadan and Husain Moosa back to the Court of Cassation for retrial. Both the recommendation and decision have been made available in the public domain. We will continue to closely monitor these cases.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether officials from the British Embassy in Manama will attend the retrial of political prisoners Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Moosa on 22 October.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Officials from the British Embassy regularly attend court hearings of cases of interest to the UK. We will continue to monitor the cases of Mohamed Ramadan and Husain Ali Moosa closely.

Maher al-Khabbaz

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain about the failure of Bahrain’s Special Investigations Unit to investigate the (1) allegations of torture on, and (2) use of coerced confessions from political prisoner Maher Abbas al-Khabbaz.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK has a continuing dialogue with the Government of Bahrain and all Bahraini human rights oversight bodies. We continue to encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We urge these bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the response provided by the Bahrain Ombudsman on 18 October to the complaint submitted by Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei on 27 September about the (1) assault, and (2) restrictive measure imposed on female political prisoners Hajer Mansoor, Medina Ali and Najah Yusuf by Isa Town prison authorities.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​I am aware of the response provided by the Bahrain Ministry of Interior Ombudsman's Office as part of their investigations into claims submitted by Sayed Alwadaei. I also understand there is further correspondence between the Ombudsman's Office and Mr Alwadaei regarding this investigation. The UK continues to encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We urge these bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations, as appears to be the case in this instance.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the hunger strike by female activists Hajer Mansoor, Medina Ali and Najah Yusuf to protest the restrictions on phone calls, family visits and free time outside the cell imposed by the Isa Town Prison administration in Bahrain; and what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain to ensure inmates are treated in line with international standards.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​I am aware of the protests Hajer Mansoor, Medina Ali and Najah Yusuf have initiated in Bahrain. The UK continues to encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We urge these bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations.I understand that family members of Mrs Mansoor have been in direct contact with the oversight bodies. I am aware that the National Institution for Human Rights have also recently carried out an inspection of Isa Town Detention Facility.

Israel: West Bank

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take regarding the demolition of Palestinian structures in the West Bank by Israeli forces.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Government has repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concern at the increase in demolitions of Palestinian properties in Area C of the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. In all but the most exceptional circumstances, demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process. We call on the Israeli authorities to cease the policy of demolitions and provide a clear, transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C.

Israel: Christianity

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about vandalism of Christian property in both Israel and the West Bank.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​While we have not had any recent discussions with the Israeli authorities on this issue, we condemn all extremist violence, including attacks against religious buildings. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv are in regular contact with representatives of churches on a range of issues, including concerns about attacks on places of worship.

Palestinians: Recognition of States

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for recognising the state of Palestine following the UN General Assembly's agreement to allow the Palestinian Authority to participate in meetings as a legitimate state.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution that gives the Palestinian observer mission to the UN time-bound additional rights to perform the function of the G77 chair.The UK is clear that we want to see the creation of a sovereign, independent, contiguous, and viable Palestinian state - living in peace and security, side by side with Israel.The UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a time when it best serves the objective of peace. Bilateral recognition in itself cannot end the occupation. Without a negotiated settlement the occupation and the problems that come with it will continue.

Saudi Arabia: Foreign Relations

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Kings College London,Security Cooperation with Saudi Arabia: Is it worth it for the UK?, published in September, what assessment they have made of the case to uphold international rules-based order in relation to Saudi Arabia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has an important strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia involving defence and security cooperation which has saved lives on the streets of Britain. We also have a trading partnership that supports thousands of jobs.The UK is committed to upholding the rule of law and the rules-based international system and we expect our partners to do likewise. We make this point very clearly in public and in private.

Hebron: Israeli Settlements

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding their plan to approve the construction of further settlement housing units in the West Bank city of Hebron.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: On 23 August 2018 the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa issued a statement on Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank. The previous Foreign Secretary issued a statement expressing concern about the construction permits issued for 31 settlement units in Hebron, for the first time in 15 years. We will continue to raise our concerns about Israel's plans for further settlements with the Israeli authorities. The Government's position is clear: settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution.

Leah Sharibu

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Nigeria about the abduction of Leah Sharibu by Boko Haram; whatinformation they have about her health and well-being; and what assessmentthey have made of reports that, following her refusal to renounce her faith, she will be enslaved for the rest of her life.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all those abducted by Boko Haram and ISWA, including Leah Sharibu. We will continue to use our public messaging and extensive engagement with the Government of Nigeria to push for urgent action to secure the release of all hostages taken by Boko Haram and ISWA. President Muhammadu Buhari has recently restated that the Nigerian government is committed to ensuring Leah Sharibu's release.

Hassan Mushaima

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for the Middle East on 11 October (HC174027), what assessment they have made of the treatment of political prisoner Hassan Mushaima in Bahrain following the cancellation of medical appointments and family visits; and whether they will make representations to the government of Bahrain about her treatment.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The noble Lord will know that the British Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to follow the case of Hassan Mushaima closely and have raised it with the Government of Bahrain at a senior level. As the Minister for the Middle East and I have made clear in answers to questions tabled in this House and the other place, the Government of Bahrain have given categorical assurances that Mr Mushaima and others detained in Bahrain have access to medical care as needed. The Government of Bahrain have also been clear that family visits, within the prison rules and regulations are permitted. I understand that Mr Mushaima has recently received a family visit.We continue to encourage those with concerns to report them to the appropriate human rights oversight body. We also continue to encourage the oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims.

Jamal Khashoggi

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they possessed any intelligence about a threat to Jamal Khashoggi before his murder in October.

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to establish an inquiry into reports that the security services possessed intelligence concerning the threat to Jamal Khashoggi before his murder in October.

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make available to the Intelligence and Security Committee classified information that they may possess relating to any threats to Jamal Khashoggi before his murder in October.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments not to comment on intelligence matters.

Department of Health and Social Care

Electronic Cigarettes

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to review the regulation of packaging for liquid nicotine mixtures for electronic cigarettes to ensure that the packaging does not appeal to children.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government has put in place proportionate regulations of electronic cigarettes to restrict their use by children. The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 set out legal requirements relating to product safety, labelling and restrictions on advertising for electronic cigarettes. These regulations include a requirement that a unit packet and any container pack of the electronic cigarette or refill container may not resemble a food or a cosmetic product. The Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015 make it illegal to sell an electronic cigarette to any one aged under 18 years.In addition, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for monitoring the marketing and advertising of non-broadcast communications for electronic cigarettes. Section 22 of the ASA Committee of Advertising Practice Code concerns the regulation of marketing communications for electronic cigarettes and includes a provision to ensure advertisers do not target or feature children, or include content which is likely to appeal particularly to children.The Government is required to review the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 by 20 May 2021 and the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015 by 1 October 2020. The Government also committed in Towards a Smokefree Generation: A Tobacco Control Plan for England published in July 2017 to review where the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union offers opportunities to re-appraise current regulation to ensure this continues to protect the nation’s health.A copy of the Tobacco Control Plan is attached.



Tobacco Control Plan
(PDF Document, 548.33 KB)

Obesity: Children

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people who were surveyed in the National Health Survey for England in (1) 2011, (2) 2015, and (3) 2016 were aged (a) 12, (b) 13, (c) 14, (d) 15; what proportion of those were overweight or obese; and what portion had weight problems of sufficient concern for them to be invited to see a health professional.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information is not held in the format requested.

Obesity: Children

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a dedicated programme of follow-up action for young people aged 12 to 15 who are identified as overweight or obese.

lord o'shaughnessy: There is no dedicated programme of follow-up action aimed specifically at young people aged 12 to 15 who are identified as overweight or obese. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning effective lifestyle weight management programmes for children and young people, according to the needs of their local populations. Therefore, programmes vary across the country and are delivered by a range of organisations, in different locations, covering different age groups.

Obesity: Children

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the prevalence of obesity among young people aged 12 to 15 is increasing or declining.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Health Survey for England collects data on the proportion of children aged two to 15 years old who were obese by survey year from 1995 to 2016, the latest year of data available. Data is only available for the age group 11-15 years.The prevalence of obesity among children aged 11-15 years increased from 15% to 25% between 1995-2004. Since 2005 the prevalence of obesity has remained at around 19%.However, there was an increase in obesity among children and young people aged 11 to 15 in 2016 from the previous year, but this one-year increase does not affect the overall trend which fluctuates around 19%.

Health Services and Social Services

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey intend to encourage the integration of health care services provided by the NHS and social care services provided by local authorities; andwhat assessment they have made of thedecision by Lancashire County Council to award the contract for their Health Child Programme 0 to 19 to a private sector provider.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government is committed to better integrating the health and care services provided to the public in England. This starts with enabling better integrated commissioning of services. No assessment has been made of the decision by Lancashire County Council as it is the responsibility of local authorities to commission the services that meet the needs of their local population.

Haematological Cancer: Drugs

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many drugs were available on the NHS for the treatment of blood cancer, and (2) how much the NHS spent on blood cancer drugs, in each of the past five years.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England has advised that it is not possible to provide a comprehensive list of drugs that are available specifically for blood cancer or how much the National Health Service spends on blood cancer drugs as cancer drugs are often licenced for multiple different types of cancer.

Haematological Cancer: Drugs

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current level of spending by the NHS on blood cancer treatment; and what estimatethey have made of the proportion of the NHS budget that will be spent on blood cancer treatments in each of the next five years.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England is unable to provide current or previous spend on drugs specifically for blood cancer as many of these drugs have multiple indications. For the same reason it is not possible to estimate future spend.

Medical Treatments

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult on proposals to incorporate input from NHS England into the NICE technology appraisal process when determining treatment criteria.

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure patient groups contribute to the development of treatment criteria for NICE approved treatments in the future.

lord o'shaughnessy: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for determining the processes it uses in the development of its guidance.NICE has advised that it has no plans to consult on changes to its processes as it has been able to use its existing structures to ensure NHS England’s intended commissioning criteria are included within the appraisal process. NICE’s existing technology appraisal process that was updated in April 2018 already allows input from NHS England at various points.Patient groups that are registered stakeholders participating in each technology appraisal will be able to provide their views on NHS England’s proposed commissioning criteria as part of the technical engagement step. Where applicable, all patient groups and individual patients have the opportunity to comment during consultation on an appraisal consultation document.

Pharmacy

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation by The Royal Pharmaceutical Society to give pharmacists powers to switch patients to new medications without consulting their GPs in the event of drugs shortages after Brexit.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government has made no such assessment, although the National Health Service already utilises a range of flexibilities to enable patients to access medicines. We will continue to work with stakeholders as to how these flexibilities may be used further or whether we may need more.

Radiology: Regulation

baroness golding: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Secretary of State will announce progress on the regulation of Sonographers to provide for statutory protection of title.

lord o'shaughnessy: There are no plans to regulate sonographers on a statutory basis.

NHS: Negligence

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to the NHS of clinical negligence claims in (1) 2016, and (2) 2017; and what plans they have to reduce such costs in the future.

lord o'shaughnessy: The total Government spend on clinical negligence was £1.7 billion in the financial year 2016-17 and £2.2 billion in the financial year 2017-18.The rising costs of clinical negligence is a serious concern which the Government is committed to tackling, given that National Health Service resources used on clinical negligence are not available for front-line care. Building on the National Audit Office report Managing the costs of clinical negligence in trusts, published in September 2017, we have been working intensively across Government and expect to set out more detail on the way forward in due course. A copy of the report is attached.Following a recommendation by Right Honourable Lord Justice Jackson in Review of Civil Litigation Costs: Supplemental Report – Fixed Recoverable Costs, the Department and the Civil Justice Council (CJC) set up a working party to develop a new process for clinical negligence initially up to £25,000 alongside new fixed costs. This working party is underway and the CJC is due to make recommendations to the Government in December. A copy of the report is attached.



Review_of_Civil_Litigation_Costs.pdf
(PDF Document, 3.93 MB)




Managing_the_costs_of_clinical_negligence_in_trust
(PDF Document, 900.14 KB)

Rare Diseases: Drugs

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure access to rare disease medicines is not delayed after Brexit.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government is committed to the safe and effective regulation of medicines in the United Kingdom; ensuring patients and the public have fast access to new, innovative medicines, including medicines for rare diseases.The future regulatory system for medicines is subject to negotiation. The White Paper proposal sets out a proposed UK-European Union free trade area for goods, to ensure continued frictionless access at the border to each other’s markets, underpinned by an upfront commitment to a common rulebook on goods and a Facilitated Customs Arrangement to avoid customs checks and controls at our borders. A copy of the White Paper The Future Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the European Union is attached.Furthermore, UK and EU negotiating teams have already agreed a time-limited implementation period, that will maintain access to each other’s markets on current terms - providing certainty for businesses across the EU and UK and time to prepare for the future.On 22 August the Government also set out its plans for medicines regulation in the unlikely event of no deal, through a technical notice. In the unlikely event of a no-deal scenario, the Medicines and Healthcare products and Regulatory Agency would be a stand-alone medicines regulator, taking any decisions and carrying out any functions which are currently taken or carried out at EU-level.The Government also launched a consultation on medicines regulation for the event of no deal; this closes on 1 November 2018.Whatever the exit scenario, we will continue to ensure that UK patients are able to access the best and most innovative medicines and medical devices and that their safety is protected.



Future Relationship between UK and EU White Paper
(PDF Document, 748.31 KB)

Health Services: Travellers

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training is provided to Clinical Commissioning Groups about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller issues in general, and with regard to dementia in particular.

lord o'shaughnessy: Information on training provided to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) is not held centrally, as it is for CCGs to determine their specific needs.

Mental Health Services: Travellers

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information about Gypsies, Travellers and Roma community is available from the NHS’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.

lord o'shaughnessy: This information is not available as Roma, Gypsies and Travellers are not separately identified in NHS Digital codes used when recording ethnicity of patients.

Health Services: Travellers

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the NHS Data Model and Dictionary will include entries for (1) Gypsies, (2) Travellers, and (3) Roma; and if so, when.

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 9 April (HL6732), whether they are taking account of the finding in the report by the Social Exclusion Task Force and Department of Health, Inclusion Health, published in March 2010, that lack of ethnic monitoring in relation to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities “makes it difficult to ascertain which services are making a difference, to whom, and by how much”; and what progress they have made with NHS England to investigate whether data collection in the NHS could include more of the protected characteristics listed under the Equality Act 2010 to provide better information about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities’ access to healthcare.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department is in the process of reviewing the collection of data within the National Health Service and has commissioned NHS England to complete a scoping exercise to understand how information on protected characteristics is gathered in existing NHS datasets, including the NHS Data Model and Dictionary which currently use the 2001 census ethnicity categories. Subject to the publication of the 2021 Census White Paper, we plan to complete an initial assessment by the end of 2018, which will form the basis for future decision-making on NHS data collection.

Physician Associates: Regulation

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the announcement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding the statutory regulation of Physician Associates and Physician Assistants in anaesthesia on 12 October, when they intend to commence the legislative process to introduce such regulation.

lord o'shaughnessy: Following the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s announcement on 12 October 2018 that the Department plans to introduce statutory regulation for Physician Associates and Physicians’ Assistants (Anaesthesia), officials have started work to develop a suitable underpinning legislative framework.Bringing non-regulated healthcare professions into statutory regulation is typically done using Section 60 of the Health Act 1999. This process takes around 18 to 24 months to complete, subject to Parliamentary time.

Social Services: Finance

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allocate additional funding to adult social care in the next financial year.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government has announced a further £650 million of new money for social care for 2019-20.The funding is in two parts:- An additional £240 million in 2019-20 for adult social care to alleviate winter pressures on the National Health Service; and- A further £410 million in 2019-20 to improve social care for older people, people with disabilities and children.

NHS Foundation Trusts: Private Sector

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS Foundation Trusts promote private healthcare to NHS patients.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested is not held centrally.

Transplant Surgery

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any medium to long-term horizon scanning assessment concerning medical research advances in transplantation of material of human origin in the UK and worldwide.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is directed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to conduct or commission research into organ donation and transplantation and into the uses, or development, of stem cells and tissues.NHSBT’s Research, Innovation and Novel Technologies Advisory Group monitors research programmes that require access to donated human material where consent has been given for research. Members of the group include leading researchers who cover all aspects of transplantation. The group also has representation from the British Transplantation Society.The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), funded by the Department, also has an important role. The NIHR Biomedical Research Centre has a research theme on Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine which aims to improve outcomes in solid organ transplantation and the use of clinical advances to support the development of cell based therapies. The NIHR Innovation Observatory is a national medical horizon scanning facility which identifies technologies up to 10 years from being publicly available.

Department for International Development

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 22 October (HL10527), whether they take into account the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan when deciding on the prioritisation of UK overseas development aid; and whether they intend to instruct Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials to visit minority communities in Pakistan and to report on the (1) number of people living in shanty towns and informal settlements, and (2) conditions in which they live.

lord bates: DFID Pakistan targets development assistance to improve the lives of poor women and men, regardless of race, religion, social background, or nationality. As part of DFID planning processes, we assess the situation of poor, marginalised and excluded groups to inform priorities. DFID Pakistan works to reduce inequality and exclusion of minorities by promoting tolerance and greater understanding of minorities. As part of routine programme monitoring, and where security allows, DFID staff visit programme sites, including shanty towns and informal settlements. We do not collect disaggregated population data on minority groups.

Syria: Reconstruction

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost of repairing the damage caused to Raqqa’s infrastructure by US-led coalition operations; and what part they intend to play in the rebuilding of Raqqa.

lord bates: While the conflict is ongoing, our priority is to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to those affected. Since the liberation of Ar-Raqqa from Da’esh, the UK has increased its response to meet the needs of those affected in the city and the rest of North Eastern Syria to help fund a range of activities including mine clearance; health provisions; protection; clean water; sanitation; education; food; and agricultural support. We have limited access to Ar-Raqqa at present due in part to extensive mine contamination from Da’esh’s previous occupation, which has hampered humanitarian efforts and poses a critical risk to civilians. As such, it is not possible at present to accurately assess the costs of reconstruction. The UK will only provide support for reconstruction in Syria once a credible, inclusive political transition is firmly underway.

Pakistan: Children

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, if any, of (1) the level of child labour in Pakistan; (2) the number of children of school age believed to work in brick kilns, workshops, factories or as domestic servants; and (3) the percentage of children from religious minorities falling into these categories.

lord bates: Child labour is widespread in Pakistan but there is a severe lack of data on the issue, including in which sectors children work. DFID Pakistan is committed to help tackle child labour and modern slavery. In partnership with UNICEF, we are funding a pioneering child labour survey which will be used to identify the children most at risk and support the government to strengthen protection. Survey results should be disseminated by the end of 2019. The information will not be broken down by religious status.

Pakistan: Education

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the number of children believed to be illiterate in Pakistan, (2) the number of children not in formal education, and (3) the proportion of children from religious minorities in Pakistan who are illiterate or not in formal education compared with the population as a whole.

lord bates: The latest UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey reports an illiteracy rate for 15-24 year olds of 24% for Punjab. The DFID-supported 2016 citizen led Annual Status of Education Report for Pakistan estimates the proportion of children aged 6-16 out of school as 19%. This report is based on data collected from over 83,000 households. The 2017 DFID-supported census results will provide data on the educational status of all children and will be able to disaggregate by minority status. This is not yet publicly available.

Pakistan: Schools

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the case of a Christian school boy in Pakistan who was excluded from class and beaten for being accused of tainting the school’s water by touching the tap; and whether they will establish whether UK aid is used to support schools such as this.

lord bates: The Government of Punjab has taken swift action and the head teacher of the school concerned has been suspended pending a full investigation. The Pakistan Human Rights Minister and civil society have publicly supported this timely action. UK aid is not directed to individual schools in Punjab. In partnership with provincial governments DFID has supported over nine million children in primary and over five million in secondary schools to gain an education in Pakistan.

Department for Education

Culture: Education

baroness bull: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the findings of the report by the University of Nottingham, Time to Listen, 15 October, of the value of arts and cultural education.

baroness bull: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusion of the report by the University of Nottingham, Time to Listen, published on 15 October, that arts and cultural education offers “systematic ways of developing understanding, new knowledge and skills”; and what steps they are taking to ensure that arts and cultural education is sufficiently prioritised in the national curriculum.

lord agnew of oulton: The government agrees with the report on the value of arts and cultural education. In state maintained schools dance, music, art and design, and drama are a compulsory part of the National Curriculum at key stage 1 to key stage 3, with pupils having an entitlement to study an arts subject at key stage 4. All schools, including academies and free schools, must provide a broad and balanced curriculum. The government is committed to funding music and arts, and has spent almost £500 million on related programmes between 2016 and 2020. This includes £300 million for music education hubs to ensure that all children have the opportunity to play and perform in choirs and ensembles. This spending also includes £118 million for the Music and Dance Scheme, which allows exceptionally talented young musicians and dancers to attend world-class institutions such as the Royal Ballet School and the Yehudi Menuhin School.Between 2010 and 2018 the percentage of young people entering at least one arts GCSE has fluctuated but remained broadly stable.

Schools: Security

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 3 April (HL6450), what progress they have made in the production of revised school security guidance.

lord agnew of oulton: The Department for Education will launch a formal public consultation on revised school security guidance shortly.

Teachers: Pay

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byLord Agnew of Oulton on 24 October (HLWS5997), whether the allocation for local authorities in respect of specialist provision from the Teachers' Pay Grant in their area will extend to centrally-funded teachers of dance, drama, and music.

lord agnew of oulton: The allocation for local authorities in respect of specialist provision is specifically to fund institutions that provide for children with high needs. It does not cover centrally employed teachers. The department is in discussions with a range of stakeholders, including the Local Government Association, about the small number of centrally employed teachers, who account for 1% of all classroom teachers not covered by the Teachers’ Pay Grant.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Ethiopia

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of economic and trade relations between the UK and Ethiopia.

baroness fairhead: Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has sustained strong and consistent growth for 14 years. The trading relationship between the UK and Ethiopia is currently worth £699m per annum.In Ethiopia the Government is promoting bilateral trading opportunities in a number of industries, including aerospace, infrastructure and renewable-energy.My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has recently appointed the first HM Trade Commissioner to Africa, who champions trade between the UK and the continent. In addition, my hon Friend for Stafford (Jeremy Lefroy MP) is the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy and has visited Ethiopia 5 times to promote UK trade and investment to the country.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to halt the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia following the confirmation of the cause of death of Jamal Khashoggi.

baroness fairhead: The situation in Saudi Arabia is kept under careful review and decisions are made on a case by case basis.Export licence applications are carefully assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. A licence would not be granted if to do so was inconsistent with the Criteria. The policy remains as announced to parliament in a Written Ministerial Statement on 25 March 2014: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140325/wmstext/140325m0001.htm#14032566000018 .The key test for the Government for our continued military exports to Saudi Arabia in relation to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is whether there is a clear risk that those items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Prefabricated Housing

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent developments in modular construction and its possible impact on the supply of housing in the UK.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government regularly keeps up-to-date with developments in the construction and housebuilding sector, including around modern methods of construction. It has not made a specific assessment of the possible impact of modern methods of construction on housing supply.

Prefabricated Housing

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to encourage off-site manufacturing to help towards increasing the supply of housing in the UK.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Our Housing White Paper set out measures to stimulate the growth of modern methods of construction (MMC), including offsite and innovative techniques.£2.5 billion of our £4.5 billion Home Building Fund provides loan finance to builders using these methods and our MMC Working Group will launch a single assurance platform assessing new technologies for homes in the coming months.

Travellers: Hate Crime

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 18 July (HL9254), what steps they are taking with media agencies and the Ofcom to combat hate crime and discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities; and what assessment they have made of the findings inthe report by Goldsmiths, University of London, Recognise, Report, Resolve, published in June, of hate speech frequently being published on the comments sections of media outlets’ websites.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We are clear that there is no place for hate speech anywhere in society. While freedom of speech is a vital cornerstone of our society, everybody must remember that they have responsibilities not to spread hatred or fear.As part of the EU High Level Group on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Other Forms of Intolerance, the UK has been a leading voice in the creation of a voluntary EU Code of Conduct which holds social media companies responsible for the removal of all illegal hate speech from their platforms within 24 hours. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Microsoft, Instagram and other internet companies have signed this Code and the third monitoring exercise in December 2017 showed that the companies removed on average 70 per cent of illegal hate speech notified to them.As part of the Hate Crime Action Plan, the Government has supported the Society of Editors to produce a Moderation Guide for online comments, which will be revisited in our continuing work with the Society of Editors and Independent Press Standards Organisation to update the Reporting Diversity booklet. This will consider hatred against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities alongside other racially and religiously motivated hatred.Additionally, in line with the recommendations given in the report Recognise, Report, Resolve, we support efforts to improve awareness and reporting of hate crime, including through our £55,000 grant to HertsGATE (Gypsy and Traveller Empowerment), to work to encourage reporting of hate crime in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

Housing: Offenders

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been assisted into accommodation on release from custody since the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Homelessness Reduction Act changes the response of local authorities to homelessness from crisis intervention to prevention, ensuring that both a wider group of people receive support and that everyone receives support at an earlier stage. Already, people are being referred by prisons for homelessness support before they leave custody through the Duty to Refer, which came into effect on 1 October. We are aiming to publish the first set of statistics collected since the commencement of the act in December.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to provide sufficient Gypsy and Traveller sites to meet the recommendations of (1) the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, (2) the UN Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, (3) the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, (4) the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and (5) the Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities; and whether the response to their consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments will address this issue.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Planning Policy for Travellers Sites asks local planning authorities to assess the need for traveller sites in their area, and to identify sites to meet that need. Local authorities are best placed to make decisions about the number and location of such sites locally, having had due regard to national policy and local circumstances. Our recent consultation on unauthorised encampments has sought views on whether there are barriers to the provision of sites, and whether there is anything Government can do to help overcome them. We are currently considering the responses to this consultation.

Ministry of Defence

Army: Officers

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many serving officers there are in the British army at each rank above and including Brigadier, broken down by job role.

earl howe: The number of regular serving Army officers at Brigadier and above, broken down by the nature of their role as at 1 April 2018, is shown in the table below. These figures include roles owned by other areas of Defence outside of the Army, such as Ministry of Defence Head Office, Defence Equipment and Support, and Joint Forces Command, to meet Defence requirements. These represent a significant proportion of the overall figure. In addition, they also include a number of roles based in NATO, including SHAPE and the Operational Commands, and with international allies and partners, including the United States and France.   OperationsOperationalSupportCapability and Acquisition ManagementDefence EngagementPersonnelManagement of DefenceOtherTotal20745393026281920Brigadier1493029232221816Major General4111942663Lieutenant General143132131General312 Source: Defence Statistics (Army)

Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefit

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the claim by the Centre for Social Justice in its report,A Social Housing Strategy, published on 27 October,that the cost of housing benefit will treble to more than £70 billion a year by 2050.

baroness buscombe: In their 2018 Fiscal Sustainability Report, the Office for Budget Responsibility projected that relative to the size of the UK economy, spending on Housing Benefit in 2050/51 will be very similar to current levels, at 1.2% of GDP.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Seas and Oceans: Plastics

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to use the UK fishing fleet to collect plastics from the seas around the UK on days when they are restricted from fishing.

lord gardiner of kimble: There is no scheme at this time to financially support fishing fleets in collecting litter from the sea during periods when fishing activity might be restricted. We encourage Fishing for Litter: an initiative which supports fishers in Scotland and Southwest England in collecting litter during their usual fishing trips. We also recognise the work that the many NGOs and charitable groups do in conducting beach cleans and litter collection at sea. We are reviewing what more can be done to reduce plastic in the marine environment and will set out our plans shortly in our Resources and Waste Strategy.

Food Supply

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure food security for consumers in the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK has a high degree of food security as shown by the UK Security Assessment. This is built on access to diverse sources of supply, including our excellent domestic production. Consumers will continue to have a wide choice of food after we leave the EU. Defra regularly assesses the security of food supply and has well-established relationships with industry on supply chain resilience. We will be using these to support preparations for leaving the EU. It is also essential that we maintain public confidence in the food we all eat; we will therefore ensure there is no compromise on animal welfare, environmental and food standards. We will remain global leaders in environmental protection and animal welfare standards, maintaining our high quality produce for British consumers.

Fisheries: Protection

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Earl Howe on 22 October (HL Deb, col 651), when DEFRA began its full assessment of the scale and volume of sea-based and non-seaboard patrol and surveillance capability required afer Brexit; and when they anticipate this work being completed.

lord gardiner of kimble: A full scale assessment of the risk and threats to English Waters resulting from EU Exit started in summer 2017. This initial work was necessary to inform future options for the scale and volume of both at sea and shore side patrol and surveillance capability. We continue to assess a number of different options to increase control and surveillance activity in our waters depending on various scenarios. It is therefore not possible to commit to a date of completion at this stage. However, some work is already underway and the Marine Management Organisation are currently undertaking a range of activities, including recruitment, to deliver the increased capability in readiness for leaving the EU. Control and enforcement activities, including patrol and surveillance capability, is a devolved matter. As such, it will continue to be for each Devolved Administration to decide how best to control its waters, and what new arrangements may be needed, when the UK leaves the EU.

Home Office

Slavery: Children

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of children referred to the National Referral Mechanism as potential victims of modern slavery turned 18 years old before receiving a conclusive grounds decision in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, and (3) 2017.

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average number of days between a positive reasonable grounds decision and a conclusive grounds decision for childrenwho were (1) British nationals, (2) nationals of other EEA countries, and (3) nationals of non-EEA countries who were referred to the National Referral Mechanism for victims of modern slavery between 2014 and 2017.

baroness williams of trafford: The National Crime Agency (NCA) regularly publishes National Referral Mechanism (NRM) data but does not publish data about the timescales for reaching reasonable grounds or conclusive grounds decisions by either UKVI or the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit in the NCA.The National Crime Agency does not publish data regarding the age of potential victims when an NRM decision is made, only whether they were an adult or child at the time when the exploitation took place.Latest statistics on NRM referrals and decisions are available at the following link: http://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics/2018-nrm-statisticsFurther information is also available in the https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/749346/2018_UK_Annual_Report_on_Modern_Slavery.pdf which was published on 18 October 2018.



UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery 
(PDF Document, 2.23 MB)




NCA Quarter 2 - April - June 2018 
(PDF Document, 409.16 KB)

Slavery: Children

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of children who were exited from the Independent Child Trafficking Advocate service because they had turned 18 years old did so before receiving a conclusive grounds decision under the National Referral Mechanism from 30 January 2017 to date.

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements are in place to provide ongoing specialist support to young people in any period between leaving the Independent Child Trafficking Advocate scheme at18 years old and receiving a conclusive grounds decision under the National Referral Mechanism.

baroness williams of trafford: From January 2017 to January 2018, 12 children exited the Independent Child Trafficking Advocate (ICTA) service because they turned 18. The data collected by the Home Office is anonymised for evaluation purposes. It is therefore not possible to cross-reference this with decision-making data from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). More information on the ICTA service and children who exited support can be found in the Interim Report published by the Home Office in July, and the accompanying data tables on https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-assessment-of-independent-child-trafficking-advocates-interim-findingsOn turning 18, any young person who is awaiting an NRM decision, becomes eligible for support from The Salvation Army through the Victim Care Contract. This includes outreach and accommodation support where necessary. We are currently preparing to retender this contact which will be operational from 1 April 2020 and will include drop in services for up to 6 months post-conclusive grounds decision. It is part of the ICTA’s role to ensure they effectively transition children turning 18 into appropriate support upon leaving the ICTA service.



Assessment - Independent Child Trafficking Finding
(PDF Document, 554.63 KB)

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

lord strasburger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the time taken between the Metropolitan Police being notified by the Electoral Commission of possible breaches of electoral law by Leave.EU and their collection of relevant evidence from the Electoral Commission.

lord strasburger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any breaking of electoral law by pro-leave campaigns during the referendum is investigated; and in what timeframe they anticipate such investigations taking place.

baroness williams of trafford: Following the conclusion of an investigation into the campaign spending of Vote Leave and other campaigners during the 2016 EU referendum, the Electoral Commission made two referrals to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) regarding potential criminal offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The first referral was received by the MPS on 11 May 2018 and the second was received on 17 July 2018. On 7 September 2018 the MPS received over 900 documents from the Electoral Commission in relation to both referrals.The decision to launch an investigation is entirely an operational matter for the police. It would not be appropriate for Ministers to comment on operational decisions made by the MPS concerning the Electoral Commission’s referrals.

Police: Employers' Contributions

lord wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided in the current financial year to police forces in England and Wales to meet the cost of employer contributions for national insurance.

baroness williams of trafford: We have provided a comprehensive funding settlement that enables police forces to carry out their important work and meet their financial obligations, including national insurance contributions.In 2018/19 we increased total investment in the police system by over £460m. This includes £280m in force funding from increases in Council Tax precept income.

Gambling: Mental Illness

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HL10469), why theHome Officedoesnot hold information on the percentage of police call-outs attributable to mental health problems connected with gambling-related harm; whether this information is collected by anyone else; and if not, what consideration they have given to collecting this information in the future.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office annually reviews the data it collects from police forces under the Annual Data Requirement. We need to ensure we have the right data to inform national policies and better understand the picture from the frontline, but we need to balance this against overburdening the police with added bureaucracy.The police do have a role in responding to people in mental health crisis and that remains the case irrespective of whether the crisis is related to gambling, substance abuse or something entirely different. There will be difficulties for the police in identifying mental health problem connected to gambling-related harm, which means it will be problematic to collect data on the number of call outs from the police forces in a consistent and reliable way.However, we continue to work with the police and health colleagues to ensure that those in mental health crisis receive the support that they require.

Brexit: Demonstrations

lord kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Metropolitan Police provided them with an estimate of how many people attended the “People’s Vote” march in London on 21 October; and if so, what was that estimate.

lord kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Metropolitan Police about the resources required to provide police protection to the anti-Brexit protests in Old Palace Yard.

baroness williams of trafford: The management of demonstrations is an operational matter for the police.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Trade Marks

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will negotiate for (1) the UK to remain part of the system of EU wide registration of trade marks and designs, and (2) the continued right of audience for UK Trade Mark Attorneys before the EU Intellectual Proerty Office, after the UK leaves the EU.

lord callanan: The Government set out its position on the future economic relationship with the EU, including on intellectual property and the cross-border provision of legal services, in the White Paper published on 12 July 2018. The final outcome is subject to future negotiations with the European Union.In the meantime, we have agreed withdrawal provisions with the EU that cover intellectual property and provide right holders and intellectual property practitioners with legal certainty. In particular, the Government will provide holders of EU trade marks and designs with equivalent UK rights so that they do not experience any loss of protection in the UK after the end of the implementation period. These rights will be provided automatically and for free.Further, we are working with the EU to ensure that the Withdrawal Agreement contains appropriate provisions for intellectual property practitioners in pending proceedings before the EU Intellectual Property Office at the end of the implementation period. We have made excellent progress across the Withdrawal Agreement and are close to concluding an agreement setting out the terms of the UK’s exit from the European Union.

Treasury

Block Grant

lord kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that the annual block grant payments to the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland represent a subsidy from taxpayers in England or a transfer of the shares of national income due to those devolved administrations.

lord bates: The devolved administrations' block grants are generally linked to changes in comparable spending by UK Government in devolved areas. This is achieved by means of the Barnett Formula and supports the principles underlying inter-administration financial relations including accountability, autonomy, transparency, economic efficiency, stability and predictability, discipline and consent. More information on HM Treasury’s policy on funding the devolved administrations is set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.

Cryptocurrencies

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to regulate the use and trading of cryptocurrencies.

lord bates: The government published the joint HM Treasury – Financial Conduct Authority – Bank of England Cryptoassets Taskforce report on 29 October alongside the Budget.The report commits the authorities to taking a range of actions to mitigate the risks posed by cryptoassets to consumers and markets, while still allowing innovation to thrive.